RC-201

Gordon Smythe of 201 Robotics (originally CyberCorp International, but with the initials “CCI” it didn’t take too long before everyone called them “201”) loved the circus more than almost anything, except perhaps his job as a robotics designer, and so it came as no surprise to anyone at 201 when Gordon announced that he was going to make a robotic clown that would be better than any human could possibly be. This model would be programmed to do slap-stick and prat-falls, and would never have to worry about injury. With a simple programming update every week or so, his jokes would never grow old…and neither would he.

Gordon tinkered with his creation for well over a year before it was finally ready to be unveiled to the public. He negotiated a deal with a major circus company to unveil his robotic clown, and sat back in the audience to enjoy his glorious success. His RC-201 (Robotic Clown 201) model had been tested and retested countless times to ensure that there would be no unwelcome surprises, and so it was with complete confidence that Gordon watched his creation walk into the middle ring.

Gordon had not considered, though, the consternation of the human clowns that risked losing their jobs if RC-201 proved to be a success, and so just before his debut in the center ring, one wire had been snipped…

Gordon watched in horror as his masterpiece walked to the middle of the stage, studdered and shook, sparked a bit, and then fell into a silent heap. Gordon’s dreams of revolutionizing the circus died as quickly and quietly as the circuit freak that he’d created.

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Written for the “Circuit Freak” prompt over at Inspiration Monday. I’ve been absent from this wonderful prompt site for a while, and figured it was about time to make my return.